An exploratory study of parental availability among emerging adult undergraduates in Spain

Abstract

Family is an essential source of support, care and security for emerging adults Nevertheless, since emerging adulthood is a relatively recent life stage, it is necessary to determine which specific dimensions of family context are important Although recent studies have confirmed the positive role played by parental warmth and the negative effects of control, due to their developmental stage, we hypothesized that perceived parental availability would be particularly important for emerging adults' well being The three item Parental Availability Scale ( was designed to evaluate this variable The main purpose of the present study was to conduct an exploratory analysis of the PAS. The study had two specific aims first, to determine the internal consistency and dimensional structure of the PAS and second, to assess its criterion validity, exploring the extent to which the measure is associated with emerging adults' psychological well being and distress.